


Touch and Tell

by Blue_Cat11



Category: My Engineer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27371311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Cat11/pseuds/Blue_Cat11
Summary: Ram finds himself at King's condo after some bad news. When King finds him sleeping in his bed, they have a long talk about what is bothering him while King traces his tattoos.
Relationships: King/Ram (My Engineer)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 110





	Touch and Tell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Blstan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blstan/gifts).



> This was inspired by an idea by BLstan
> 
> Not beta read, sorry if there are any mistakes

Ram let the heavy door swing shut behind him, his emotions equally weighed down. One of his beloved puppies was inside, being looked over by the vet staff. He hated how useless he felt in the situation, how there was nothing he could do other than leave the husky with professionals. If he could have seen the outcome to letting his dog off leash at the park, he never would have done it.

Ram began the walk back to his house, his thoughts filled with regret and sadness. If his boyfriend were here, he would console Ram by telling him it wasn’t his fault. King always knew how to cheer him up, even if the comfort was just a shoulder to cry on. His memories reeled back to the first night he stayed with King, after he discovered his father cheating on his mother.

He hadn’t said much, Ram never being great with words around people he didn’t trust, but King still took him in and made him feel safe. Even his huskies were allowed to stay despite the man’s phobia. Ram slowed his steps as the image of his puppies drifted before his eyes. His shoulders drooped as his body deflated, not able to distract himself anymore. It continued walking as the sky shifted into dusk, nightfall approaching.

He stopped at the foot of a tall building, his thoughts still racing. Without thinking of where he was, he walked inside and pressed the elevator button to go up. When he reached the floor he wanted, he made it to King’s door and shoved his hand into his pants pocket to retrieve his key. He opened the door and let himself in. The long, narrow hallway was dark until he flipped the light switch and the space erupted with light. Large vines and other greenery hung from the walls, making the hallway a tighter squeeze.

The green color and floral, earthy scent brought a wave of comfort crashing over him. The corner of his lips twitched in a smile, but his mind was still too numb to feel happy as the looming thought of his dog at the vet filled him with sorrow. His fluffy companion wasn’t in danger for her life, but the other dog at the park had done some damage.

With his mood still down and his puppy still in his mind, he padded to King’s bedroom. His boyfriend wasn’t home since his last class tended to let out late, hence why Ram had his spare key.

Ram moved into the room, forgoing the light switch since he knew the room by heart. The entire condo smelled like King, but his bedroom was where it was most concentrated. It felt comforting, like his boyfriend was with him. Without thinking, Ram opened his closet and rummaged through his clothes. He came up with a gray t-shirt that King accidentally bought a couple sizes too large. He walked to the bed and laid the shirt down before he stripped down to his boxers.

He pulled King’s clothes over his head and crawled into the bed. Ram covered himself in the blanket and used the warm traces of his boyfriend’s presence to lull himself to sleep.

King entered his condo, greeted by the lights on and Ram’s shoes near the door. He smiled as he said hello to all the plant babies, whispering small encouragements into their leaves. He wasn’t sure why Ram decided to come over, but he could just ask…if he could find him.

King poked his head into the kitchen, but he didn’t see his boyfriend so he walked back into the living room. The sound of the bed creaking told him Ram was in the bedroom, so he quickly made his way inside.

Ram was curled up on the mattress, the comforter covering him except for his head and one arm. King sat at the foot of the bed, fondness and awe radiating from him. He loved when Ram came over and made himself at home. It filled King with a sense of fulfillment, the knowledge that their time as a couple had strengthened their bond enough for Ram to be so comfortable with him.

With a flutter of his eyes, Ram woke up. He looked around before his gaze landed on King, who gave him a small grin. Ram’s face remained unchanged, yet something softened in his eyes and the older man could just feel him asking to join him in the bed.

King stripped down to his boxers and crawled up to Ram, sliding his body close to the other. He was about to wrap himself around his boyfriend when Ram surprised him by acting first. Ram pulled him close to snuggle into his chest, his breath hot against his bare skin. They tangled their legs as Ram hugged his boyfriend tight. Ram never acted this clingy, so red flags shot up in King’s brain.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he said softly with his hand playing with his thick hair. Ram froze up, not sure what gave his sadness away. “I know you, Ram. Something’s bothering you.”

The younger man sighed, his arms wrapped tighter around his boyfriend’s body. King brought Ram’s hand to his lips for a kiss, encouraging the other. King had seen Ram’s phone on top of the pile of his clothes, so he couldn’t merely text him his response. “I took Snowflake to the vet before I came here,” Ram said, almost in a whisper.

“Why? Is she ok? Do you want me to call the others? Duen isn’t a vet, but he might still be able to help,” King rambled, his preferred coping mechanism.

“No,” Ram mumbled into his chest. “The vet said she has a broken leg and some bruising, but she’ll be fine. I had to leave her there.” He felt tears burn at his eyes and he let them fall, not afraid to show emotion in front of his boyfriend.

“Honey,” King cooed before he shifted their positions so they laid facing each other. Ram still chose to nuzzle into King’s embrace, his tears wetting King’s neck. “She’ll be ok, you said so yourself.” He rubbed Ram’s back as he cried and kissed anywhere he could reach. King hated seeing the man he loved in such despair, but he was at least thankful that he could be here for him.

“It…it’s all my fault, P’King,” he whimpered.

“Ram,” he started, “Ram, look at me, hey c’mon, eyes up.” He placed a hand under his chin to lightly direct his head up. His eyes were red and shiny, his cheeks in a similar state. “I don’t know what happened, but this is not your fault. Ok?” Ram shook his head.

“If I d-didn’t let her off leash then…then that dog wouldn’t have attacked h-her,” he said through sobs.

“Shh, it’s ok,” he whispered as he held him. “Just try to tell me what happened.”

Ram took a shuddering breath before he began, “We…we went to their favorite dog park, and S-Snowflake was acting s-so good that I let her off leash to play with the other dogs while I held Snow Ball and Icicle. I took my eyes off her for a minute to give the others some water…then I heard her barking. A huge Rottweiler was on top of her!” A sob shuddered through his body and it broke King’s heart.

King wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and held him close. He knew Ram wouldn’t listen to reason in this state, so he opted to just make sure he felt safe. King thought of what Ram had told him and it dawned on him how long he’d talked. When they first met, Ram wouldn’t say two words to him and now he was saying several, long sentences at a time. His heart swelled at the knowledge he made Ram feel so safe.

King stroked the younger man’s arm, hoping the contact brought comfort. When his fingers roamed over the wolf tattoo, they paused before tracing the outline lightly. “Phi…P’King, P’King,” he whimpered through the still falling tears.

“I’m here, Ram,” he said from above him. He leaned in to press his lips to Ram’s cheek, over wetness of tears.

“P’King, I’m sorry,” Ram mumbled, but King silenced him with a kiss. Their tongues intertwined and pressed into each other’s mouths. It took a few minutes of touching and kissing before Ram started to really calm down. King pulled away from his lips before he wiped a falling tear from Ram’s cheek.

“Do you want to sleep here tonight?” he asked and Ram nodded his head.

“Ok, love.” King stroked his cheek, making sure Ram saw all the love in his eyes. He needed Ram to know how much he appreciated the trust. “Hey, wanna hear about the new plant I bought?” he asked to get Ram distracted.

“You got a new one?” Ram asked, his voice low.

“Yeah and it’s apparently really hard to grow from a seed. So, of course, I just bought the seeds yesterday.” He smiled down at Ram and the latter’s lips twitched minutely. “What should I name it?”

Ram thought about it for a second before replying, “Sunshine.”

“Oh cute! But why?”

“Because you’re its caretaker and you bring sunshine wherever you go,” he said with a straight face. King dropped his head to the other’s chest, his face burning.

“You can’t say such cute stuff without warning me!” he wailed. To keep himself busy while avoiding Ram’s face, he began tracing the tattoo on Ram’s forearm again as his arm laid on the younger man’s stomach. It was one of his favorites ever since that day on the bus.

“Sorry, I’ll warn you next time.” They laid in silence for a few moments before Ram spoke again. “I can’t believe it’s been two weeks already. Since we started dating.” King raised his head to look at his face. A slight blush covered his face as well.

“Best two weeks of my life.” He lightly traced the tattoo wolf’s outline, running his fingertip along Ram’s skin.

“Do you mean that?” he asked and King needed to obliterate the doubt behind Ram’s eyes.

“Yes!” he exclaimed as he cupped Ram’s face, the tattoo pushed from his mind. “I know I was distant at first because my feelings scared me. I’d never felt this way about another guy. But I love you, Ram. Really.” Ram closed his eyes and King knew he was just trying to process things. “I’m so happy we talk so much now. I love hearing your thoughts and voice. I love that you trust me.”

Ram opened his eyes and they were red again. “I trust you the most,” he said through a voice crack. “When I left the vet, I walked straight to your condo without even thinking. I knew you would make me feel better, and you have.” He nuzzled into his hands, his own hand coming up to cling around King’s forearm. “Warning,” he said and King lifted an eyebrow. “I love you and can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else.”

King still felt like his heart exploded, despite the weak warning. “Shit, I’m taking you somewhere special this weekend if you keep attacking me with compliments.”

“P’King is amazing and handsome and is so cute when he fawns over plants,” Ram said with the first real smile on his lips, no matter if it was still relatively small.

“Now you’re just going to give me a heart condition,” he said, trying to keep his face emotionless and failing. His face broke out in a smile and they wrapped themselves around each other again, but this time with King resting on Ram’s chest. This gave him the perfect vantage point to reach Ram’s dream catcher tattoo on his neck.

King lifted his hand and traced his fingers along the intricate details of the feathers and compass. They talked more about their days, about how King’s classes were going and if Ram needed help on any tests. All the while, King slowly traced the tattoos he could see and Ram relaxed further. Slowly, King positioned himself to straddle Ram’s hips as he lazily nodded to Ram’s words.

Without noticing what he was doing, King began to life Ram’s borrowed t-shirt. He pushed it up to his neck and stared at the many tattoos. He counted three and he knew there was another on his left bicep. The black design across his chest rose and fell with each breath; he couldn’t stop his hand from reaching out to touch it.

Ram flinched slightly at the contact, still not sure how he felt about people touching his more hidden tattoos. But he reminded himself that this was King and his boyfriend was allowed to touch anywhere. As King’s fingers moved across his skin, he visibly relaxed more and more as the stress from the day washed away. “That feels nice,” he whispered, his eyes half closed.

King continued, his fingers tracing the outline and hopping across each shape. His hand lowered, trailing down his chest and stomach until he reached the tattoo on the side of his ribs. His open palm ran along the design, goosebumps appearing where his hand swept over. “I love your tattoos,” he said as he glided his index finger across the lines.

“I’ll get one for you,” Ram said and King lost his breath. “I want people to see it and know I’ve found my special person. I want you to see that too.” King laid his forehead of Ram’s chest, the heat from his blush taking over his face. Ram never said things like this, so the words hit King’s heart especially hard.

“I’ll get one too,” he said and Ram made him raise his head to look at him.

“You don’t need to. I know how you feel about sharp things.”

“But I want something to remind me of you all the time. And I’d be willing to be scared for a few minutes if I get that.”

Ram sighed, but it wasn’t because he was upset. “I don’t want you to, though.” He paused to think other options over. “How about a couple bracelet or ring instead?” he suggested and King’s eyes lit up.

“I saw a really cool bracelet that looks like tree branches the other day.” Ram nodded and King’s attention switched to the tattoo by Ram’s waistline. It was partially obscured by his boxers, but King simply pushed the garment lower on his lips so the entire tattoo showed. He traced the circle and lines intersecting in the middle. “Could we get our names engraved in the bracelet?” he asked.

“Yeah. And maybe they come colored so we can get complimenting ones.” The thoughts of their new couple jewelry continued to distract him from his husky at the vet. They stayed like this for a while, talking more about what tattoo Ram would get next among other things.

King yawned into his first and Ram finally realized how tired the other man must be since he came home from a late class and spent the last couple hours in bed talking to him. “I think it’s time to sleep,” he told King as he laid him down on the mattress and placed his head on a pillow.

“I haven’t showered yet,” he mumbled sleepily.

“We can take one in the morning,” he paused as he thought about what else he would do tomorrow. “And I need to pick Snowflake up at noon.”

“Hm, I’ll go too.” King wrapped himself around Ram, head half between their pillows. “I don’t think I’ll be scared.” Ram knew his boyfriend would definitely still be scared, but he also knew how much he had improved during their relationship. He even let Icicle smell his hand a couple times.

He voiced his thoughts, but King was already asleep. Ram looked at him fondly, so proud to call the man before him his boyfriend. He kissed his forehead before snuggling close and drifting off to sleep.


End file.
